Apples are a serious matter
by KayLG
Summary: Regina's apples are a serious matter. As serious as a heart attack, quite literally. Not to be messed with. This is a missing scene of what happened after Emma turned up at Mary Margaret's apartment in 1x03.
**This scene takes place immediately after this: watch?v=gSs22oKOdnU.**

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Mary Margaret padded barefoot to her apartment door and opened it. "Emma," she breathed surprised by the identity of her late night visitor.

"I'm sorry to bother you… so late." Emma crossed her arms and took a deep breath. "Is that spare room still available?"

A warm smile flittered across Mary Margaret's lips and her eyes turned soft while she nodded her head and moved her right hand in an inviting gesture.

Closing the door behind Emma Mary Margaret turned around to find her standing awkwardly in the middle of the room obviously unsure of how to proceed.

"So," Mary Margaret said, feeling an inexplicable happiness rising in her chest that Emma had taken her up on her offer, "how about some cocoa?" She rounded the breakfast bar and smiled at Emma, trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

"Oh yeah, that's…" Emma took a breath and relaxed returning Mary Margaret's smile, "that's exactly what I need right now. Thank you."

"Then take a seat," she gestured to the stools in front of Emma, "cocoa with whipped cream and cinnamon, coming right up." Making herself busy around the little stove she heard Emma sitting down and letting out a sigh.

After finding a small pot and filling it with milk Mary Margaret turned around to Emma who was in the process of taking off her red leather jacket and hanging it over the stool beside her.

"That's a… really nice blouse," Mary Margaret commented tilting her head to the side curiously.

Emma looked down at herself, "Are you saying that it's not my style?" She stroked her fingertips over the expensive material furrowing her brow and doing her best to hide her smile.

"Oh um no," Mary Margaret stuttered, cheeks turning slightly red, "It's just…"

"I was just pulling your leg," Emma put her out of her misery. "It actually isn't. It's Regina's."

"Regina's?" Looking puzzled Mary Margaret seemed to be unsuccessfully trying to make sense of this. "As in Mayor Mills Regina?" Her voice rose an incredulous octave.

"Yeah," Emma leaned forward on the counter and waved her hand doing a half eye roll and letting out a sound between a chuckle and a sigh, "don't ask." She distinctly remembered Regina's haughty expression when she recognized her shirt on Emma.

"Anyways, she made Granny come by and evict me from the Bed and Breakfast. Conveniently pulling a 'no felons' policy out of her ass."

"Oh." Mary Margaret nodded understandingly and turned to the stove. She pulled out the cocoa from an overhead cupboard and carefully measured four spoons into the boiling milk. Stirring it up quickly with a whisk and adding some sugar she picked the conversation back up. "I mean to a certain degree I can understand that she doesn't want you in Henry's life." She picked out two mugs and poured the cocoa. Getting whipped cream from the fridge she added a healthy amount into each cup and topped it off with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Carefully balancing them not to spill the hot liquid Mary Margaret walked around the counter and settled down beside Emma. She placed both mugs on the wooden surface with a dull clinking sound.

"But trying to chase you out of town like this is a little bit harsh," she finished trying to phrase it diplomatically. "I don't get where this massive animosity comes from."

Emma closed her hands around her mug and inhaled deeply. "I may or may not have taken a chainsaw to her apple tree?"

"You what?" Mary Margaret looked scandalized, her mouth hanging open and her mug held in midair forgotten halfway between the breakfast bar and her lips.

"It seemed like a good idea," Emma shrugged taking a sip from her own cup and savoring the taste of her favorite drink. "After she pulled a really creepy 'these are my honey crisp apples, eat them and disappear' move on me."

Mary Margaret shook her head not really following. "And then you cut down her tree?"

"Not all of it," Emma licked her lips and her eyebrows lifted up recalling the events. "You should have seen her. She looked positively homicidal. And then she made this super strange move with her upper lip." She put down her mug and fully turned to her newly acquired roommate. "It totally looked like twitching whiskers." Emma lifted both hands in front of her mouth, her palms and fingertips facing Mary Margaret and wiggled her fingers in an imitation of exactly that. "That was scary."

Mary Margaret looked at her thoughtfully. She suddenly tilted her head and opened her mouth as if to say something but then closed it again, "huh."

"What? What is it?" Emma asked.

"It's just that... I don't know, this somehow seemed familiar."

"How so?" Emma questioned.

"I don't know. I felt like I'd seen this before. Something with Regina, apples and this," she waved her hand at Emma, "whiskers move." She shook her head. "It was probably nothing. Probably only someone taking one of her precious apples from her and eating it right in front of her." She laughed uneasily as if it was too disturbing to think about what would happen to someone who ever dared to do such a thing.

"Anyways, what happened then?"

"Nothing," Emma said. "I made it clear that she couldn't threaten me to make me leave. Then I told her that it was her move and walked away."

"And her move was to throw you out of the Bed and Breakfast," Mary Margaret nodded putting the pieces together.

Emma scowled in response, "Yeah, among other things."

"Emma," Mary Margaret said in a caring voice and placed her hand on Emma's. "You made the right choice staying here. I'm sure that everything will work out fine."

Emma's eyes flickered to their hands on the countertop. "Um, thanks," she replied and after squeezing Mary Margaret's hand quickly she pulled her own away and scratched the back of her head.

"It's getting really late," Mary Margaret changed the topic after a minute of silent sipping from their cups that danced on the line between companionable and awkward. Making a mental note to ease up a little bit she picked up their empty mugs and walked around the breakfast bar to place them in the sink.

"How about I show you your room? It's a school night so I have to get up early tomorrow." She indicated the narrow staircase with a wave of her hand. Emma picked up her jacket while her dark haired roommate walked to the stairs.

"Mary Margaret?" Mary Margaret turned and lifted her eyebrows in a silent question. Emma slid down from her stool and held her jacket in both hands. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

Mary Margaret smiled warmly. "You're welcome."


End file.
